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Grammy winning singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman returns to the recording fold with a new album that's as notable for its soulful hearthside vibes as for its deep-felt songs. Co-produced by Chapman and celebrated sound engineer and mixer Tchad Blake (Los Lobos, Peter Gabriel, Pearl Jam, Tom Waits, Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson), WHERE YOU LIVE was recorded at an improvised San Francisco rehearsal space-turned-studio that inspired the singer and her accompanists to stretch out both musically and spiritually. The result is 11 original compositions complemented by some of the most intimate performances Chapman has ever captured. Running the stylistic gamut from hauntingly rendered ballads ('3,000 Miles,' 'Going Back'), to coarse-grained Americana ('Before Easter,' 'Taken,' 'America') and bright-burning acoustic rockers (the album's maiden single, 'Change'), WHERE YOU LIVE is a remarkably intimate-sounding album that reestablishes Tracy Chapman as one of the premiere singer-songwriters of her time.
Though Chapman is hard pressed to trace the inspirational source of her new material, the singer discovered a common thread after WHERE YOU LIVE was completed. 'All the songs seemed to reference this idea of WHERE YOU LIVE,' Chapman explains. 'In some songs, the reference is to a physical place and environment -- WHERE YOU LIVE physically in the world. In some of the other songs, the reference is to a state of mind; WHERE YOU LIVE in your head and in your heart. I'd say there's even a song or two that addresses how you think about yourself in relation to the universe. That's how the title of the record came to be.'
With its memorable songs and true-to-life recording sounds, it seems inevitable that fans will embrace WHERE YOU LIVE with ardent enthusiasm. Chapman charts the album's musical course on the opening track, 'Change.' Built on a rock-steady folk rhythm, this compelling single finds Chapman posing timeless rhetorical questions that seem all the more relevant in this discordant age of affluence and poverty, war and peace, faith and science. To wit: 'if you knew that you would die today / if you saw the face of God and love... would you change?'
With 'Change' serving as a point of departure, WHERE YOU LIVE proceeds to transport listeners to an all-encompassing world of musical possibility. On the gorgeously rendered 'Don't Dwell,' Chapman frames bittersweet lyrics against ravishing torch song melodies. On 'America,' the singer ponders the escalating cost of western imperialism, setting her sentiments to driving rhythms that evoke the merciless lurch of progress. 'Going Back' and '3,000 Miles,' examines the struggle for identity in an increasingly dehumanized world, while tracks like 'Talk to You' and 'Love's Proof' follow in the romantic tradition of Tracy Chapman love songs like 1988's 'Baby Can I Hold You' and 2002's 'I Am Yours.'
To underscore the album's truth-seeking lyricism, Chapman stripped away any sonic barriers that might impede the connection between artist and listener. Instead of booking time at a professional studio, the singer and co-producer Blake trucked recording gear into an unassuming Bay Area rehearsal space. The pair then invited a small but select group of musicians to join them, including guitarist/keyboardist Joe Gore (Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, Eels) and percussionist Quinn (eastmountainsouth). Legendary bassist Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) was recruited to play on three tracks, while Chapman herself ably handled vocals, guitar, keys and clarinet.
The fortunate result of these experiments is the spontaneous, on-the-fly sound that animates WHERE YOU LIVE. Far removed from the claustrophobic pop productions of the day, Chapman's new album boasts an airy, wide-open sound that complements the forthrightness of her songs. 'I felt like simplifying things would give me the flexibility I was seeking,' the singer explains. 'Playing with just a few musicians would give me the ability to do what I do when I play acoustic -- that is, to give an interpretation of a song that's for the moment, or a particular place. To me, it feels like this approach creates an opportunity for more emotion.'
Just shy of her 20th anniversary as a recording artist, it's heartening to find Tracy Chapman still in hot pursuit of 'more emotion.' After all, it was Chapman who brought the metal-weary masses to their senses in 1988 with her self-titled debut album. Fueled by the success of the singles 'Fast Car,' 'Talkin' Bout A Revolution' and 'Baby Can I Hold You,' Chapman's album went on to sell 6 million copies domestically and captured three Grammy awards, including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Contemporary Folk Recording and Best New Artist. She was named Best New Artist (Pop / Rock) at the 1989 American Music Awards and was featured on the Amnesty International Human Rights Now! World tour with Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Youssou N'Dour.
Impervious to trends, Chapman has commendably stayed her musical course, winning acclaim for such albums as CROSSROADS (1989 -- certified platinum), MATTERS OF THE HEART (1992 -- certified gold), NEW BEGINNING (1995 -- 5x platinum), TELLING STORIES (2000 -- gold) and LET IT RAIN (2002). The singer's incandescent recordings have continued to win the approbation of fans, critics and peers. 'Give Me One Reason,' the bluesy single from NEW BEGINNING, netted Chapman her fourth Grammy.
Now, with the release of her new album, Tracy Chapman continues on the strong-willed path that has made her one the world's most acclaimed singer-songwriters. WHERE YOU LIVE possesses an aural integrity and nuanced emotionalism rarely evidenced in contemporary pop music.
'It's a very ‘vibey' record,' the singer says, laughing at her own coinage. 'In some way, the sound of this album manages to convey the mood and tone of the (recording sessions), and I'm thrilled about that. This absolutely has been one of the best experiences I've had making a record. I'm ecstatic.'
2005 Atlantic Records.
All Music Guide Bio:
Tracy Chapman helped restore singer/songwriters to the spotlight in the '80s. The multi-platinum success of Chapman's eponymous 1988 debut was unexpected, and it had lasting impact. Although Chapman was working from the same confessional singer/songwriter foundation that had been popularized in the '70s, her songs were fresh and powerful, driven by simple melodies and affecting lyrics. At the time of her first album, there were only a handful of artists performing such a style successfully, and her success ushered in a new era of singer/songwriters that lasted well into the '90s. Furthermore, her album helped usher in the era of political correctness -- along with 10,000 Maniacs and R.E.M., Chapman's liberal politics proved enormously influential on American college campuses in the late '80s. Of course, such implications meant that Chapman's subsequent recordings were greeted with mixed reactions, but after several years out of the spotlight, she managed to make a very successful comeback in 1996 with her fourth album, New Beginning, thanks to the Top Ten single "Give Me One Reason."
Raised in a working class neighborhood in Cleveland, OH, Chapman learned how to play guitar as a child, and began to write her own songs shortly afterward. Following high school, she won a minority placement scholarship and decided to attend Tufts University, where she studied anthropology and African studies. While at Tufts, she became fascinated with folk-rock and singer/songwriters, and began performing her own songs at coffeehouses. Eventually, she recorded a set of demos at the college radio station. One of her fellow students, Brian Koppelman, heard Chapman play and recommended her to his father, Charles Koppelman, who ran SBK Publishing. In 1986, she signed with SBK and Koppelman secured a management contract with Elliot Roberts, who had worked with Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Roberts and Koppelman helped Chapman sign to Elektra in 1987.
Chapman recorded her debut album with David Kershenbaum, and the resulting eponymous record was released in the spring of 1988. Tracy Chapman was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, and she set out on the road supporting 10,000 Maniacs. Within a few months, she played at the internationally televised concert for Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday party, where her performance was greeted with thunderous applause. Soon, the single "Fast Car" began climbing the charts, eventually peaking at number six. The album's sales soared along with the single, and by the end of the year, the record had gone multi-platinum. Early the following year, the record won four Grammys, including Best New Artist.
It was an auspicious beginning to Chapman's career, and it was perhaps inevitable that her second album, 1989's darker, more political Crossroads, wasn't as successful. Although it was well-reviewed, the album wasn't as commercially successful, peaking at number nine and quickly falling down the charts. Following Crossroads, Chapman spent a few years in seclusion, returning in 1992 with Matters of the Heart. The album was greeted with mixed reviews and weak sales, and Chapman had fallen into cult status. Three years later, she returned with New Beginning, which received stronger reviews than its predecessor. The bluesy "Give Me One Reason" was pulled as the first single, and it slowly became a hit, sending the album into the U.S. Top Ten in early 1996. It was a quiet, successful comeback from an artist most observers had already consigned to forever languish in cult status. Telling Stories followed in early 2000. Let It Rain followed two years later. For 2005's Where You Live, Chapman co-produced the album with Tchad Blake. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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